





<3^N 




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Book -^ A 






V 



REV. DR. PUTNAM'S ADDRESS 



ON THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 



H. A. S. DEARBORN. 



City Document. — No. 10. 



AN 



ADDRESS, 



DELIVERED BEFORE THE "^ $ J 

CITY GOVERNMENT AND CITIZENS OF ROXBURY, 



ON THE 



LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE LATE 

HENRY A. S. DEARBORN. 

MAYOR or THE CITY. 

SEPTEMBER 3d, 1851. 



BY GEORGE PUTNAM, D. D. 



PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE CITY C'OUNCIL. 



ROXBURY: 

NORFOLK COUNTY JOURNAL PRESS. 

THOMAS PRINCE, CITY PRINTER. 

1851. 



11 



3 



CITY OF ROXBURY 



In Common Council, Sept. 15, 1851. 

Ordered, That the thanks of the City Council be tendered to the Rev. George 
Putnam, 1"). D., for the very eloquent Address delivered before the City Council 
and citizens of this city, on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 3d, on the life, 
character and public services of the late General Henry Alexander Scammel 
Dearborn, Mayor of this City, and that he be requested to furnish a copy of the 
eame for publication. 

Passed, and sent up for concurrence. 

JOSHUA SEAVER, Clerk. 

In the Board of Aldermen, Sept. 15, 1851. 
Concurred. 

JOSEPH VV. TUCKER, City Clerk. 



ADDRESS. 



Friends and Neighbors, 

Magistrates and Citizens of Roxbury : 

Our late Municipal Chief departed this life in the city of 
Portland on the 29th day of July last. His death was oc- 
casioned by a malignant disease suddenly developed, and 
took place under circumstances that imperatively forbade 
the observance here of those funereal rites that would be 
deemed appropriate to a man of his character and of his 
station. His remains passed through the streets of our city, 
silently attended by his associates in the government, to 
their final resting place. Debarred thus from an opportu- 
nity to pay the usual tokens of respect to the deceased at 
the time of his burial, the City Council, with many citizens 
and friends, have desired and claimed that a separate occa- 
sion should be set apart as early as practicable, for mani- 
festing their appreciation of his character and public services, 
their sense of the bereavement which this city and the 
community have suffered, and by prayer and meditation in 
the sanctuary to renew and confirm in their own hearts the 
lessons of wisdom which the death of one so valued and so 
eminent amongst us, could not fail to inspire. 

Therefore are we assembled here to-day. The perishing 
body is not here before us, awaiting its last rites of sepulture. 



It has passed on, and sleeps beneath the beautiful shades of 
Forest Hills. It rests there in that well earned repose which 
shall never be disturbed by the hand of man ; but his mem- 
ory is with us, — that is not buried, — it is not dead. His 
mind, with all its attributes and its achievements, is still a 
living presence with us, and it is with that we would hold 
communion, and pay the just meed of grateful honor and 
affectionate remembrance. It is not too late for that. The 
pall, the hearse, the slow procession, and the open grave, 
are not necessary for that. 

We do well, I think, to come together as we do this day, 
wisely omitting the external and secular parades that per- 
tain to a funeral eulogy, and desiring only in quietness and 
simplicity to commemorate the man who has thus passed 
from amongst us — passed from the highest seat in our city, 
to take his place with the lowliest in the grave. We 
would consider v/hat manner of man he was, and calling to 
mind the good traits that distinguished him, and the good 
services that he performed, do justice to them — the mind's 
justice, and the heart's justice — and find an example in 
them, and inspiration in them, and that moral quickening 
which always acquires new force in the presence of death, 
and amid the associations of sorrow. Human excellence 
is very various. It is never whole and perfect in any 
one man. It is distributed in diverse forms, in unequal 
proportions, and in manifold and ever novel combinations, 
even among good men. It exists only in fragments, in par- 
cels, everywhere limited and incomplete ; yet it does exist, 
and does appear all round, in men of every generation — an 
imperishable monument of God's grace, and a continual 
manife tation of His good spirit. And it is necessary for 
us, for the purposes of our own moral training, to see it, and 
seeing, to perceive it. It is a great incitement and an effi- 
cient help to our own virtue and wisdom to be able to dis- 
cern virtue and wisdom, not only in abstract principles and 
formal precepts, but in the concrete, in living examples, in 
lives that pass or have passed before us, in deeds that we 
can see, in characters that shed their light upon our path. 



We need to cultivate that genial and appreciating spirit that 
has an eye for what is beautiful and what is noble in hu- 
man character, wherever it appears, in whatever forms, in 
whatever connections. No man is an example in every- 
thing , but every portion of moral exellence is exemplified 
by somebody, and that, too, where we may see it, and de- 
rive light and strength from it, if we will. There are no 
good men, in the absolute sense of the term ; but there are 
good traits and good deeds all around ; and the heart that 
does not learn to revere and to love them, to separate them 
from the ever accompanying faults and imperfections, and 
to warm towards them, to enshrine them in its holy places, 
and to derive an incitement, a glow and an elevation from 
them, that heart will grow hard and cold — will lose its af- 
finities with virtue, its aspirations for excellence, and find 
its bonds of loving brotherhood with the race become lax 
and weak. One reason for the gentle charity, the mild and 
lenient judgment which the gospel requires us to exercise, 
is, that we may not be deterred by a rigid, harsh, censo- 
rious spirit, from discerning with a loving and whole hearted 
appreciation the virtues of our fellow men. The Apostle 
carries this sentiment so far as to charge us to "honor all 
men." Upon the most lax interpretation of the precept, we 
must regard it as a Christian duty, as it is certainly a means 
of moral improvement, to honor all that is good in man, to 
look for it, to delight in finding it, to make the most of it, 
and make the contemplation of it a means to expand the 
heart, and exalt our conceptions, and stimulate our virtuous 
endeavors. 

It is because, and only because I see much to admire, to 
love, and to revere in the character of our late fellow citizen 
and chief magistrate, much that ought to have the inspir- 
ing influence of a good example, that I am willing to appear 
here to day, and speak of him in this public manner. T 
believe there are things in his life and character, the con- 
templation of which may be as profitable to our own hearts, 
as it is just to his memory. I am glad that his walk and 
station in society were so conspicuous as, in your judg- 



ment, to authorize this pubUc and unusual notice of the 
quaUties and deeds of an individual man. 

The informal nature of this occasion releases me from the 
duty of giving any complete biographical account of the 
deceased. A few dates and incidents may, however, be 
allowed. 

Henry Alexander Scammel Dearborn was born March 
3d, 1783, in Exeter, New Hampshire. He passed his boy- 
hood on a farm, on the banks of the Kennebec, in Maine. 
He spent two years at Williams' College, in this State, but 
was graduated at William and Mary's College, in Virginia. 
He studied law three years in a southern State, and one 
year in the office of the late Judge Story, at Salem. At 
this time, his father being Secretary of War, and Mr. Jeffer- 
son President of the United States, he applied for a foreign 
diplomatic station. Mr. Jefferson said he should have one, 
and a good one ; but advised him not to take it, saying that 
"no man ought to go to reside for any time abroad under 
the age of forty, for he would lose hisAmerican tastes and 
ideas, become wedded to foreign manners and institutions, 
and grow incapable of becoming a loyal, useful and con- 
tented citizen at home." The young appUcant took the 
advice, and gave up the appointment. He then commenced 
the practice of the law in Salem, and afterwards continued 
it a little while in Portland, but he disliked the profession, 
and resolved to give it up as soon as possible. He said it 
obliged him to take money often from persons who stood in 
the greatest need of it themselves, and to whom he felt im- 
pelled to give something, rather than exact anything from 
them ; he could not bear to get his living so. This reason 
for a change will strike every one who knew him as strong- 
ly characteristic of him. At this period he was appointed 
to superintend the erection of the forts in Portland harbor. 
He next became an officer in the Boston Custom house, 
where his father was Collector; and on the father's appoint- 
ment to the command of the northern army, in the war 
with Great Britain, the son was made Collector of the Port 
in his stead. In 1812, he had the command of the troops 



in Boston harbor. He was removed from the office of Col- 
lector in 1829. The same year he was chosen Representa- 
tive from Roxbury, in the Legislature of Massachusetts, and 
was immediately transferred to the Executive Council. The 
next year he was Senator from Norfolk, and at the next 
election was chosen member of Congress from this district. 
Having served one term in Congress, he was soon after 
appointed Adjutant General of Massachusetts, in which 
office he continued till 1843. In 1 847, he became Mayor 
of Roxbury, which place he held until his death. 

It does not become me to speak of his official conduct in 
any of these public stations. I am neither competent to 
estimate, nor disposed to discuss the wisdom of the political 
opinions which he held, nor of the measures he advocated. 
I will only say that none ever doubted, so far as I know, 
his patriotism, diligence, and fidelity in every office of trust. 
None will believe or say that he ever sacrificed his con- 
victions of right, his views of public interest, or any whit 
of his personal integrity to the desire of gain, or of political 
advancement. A thoroughly honest and high minded man 
he unquestionably was in every public function, as also in 
every private relation. The contrary, I presume, was never 
charged or suspected, even in any heat of party strife. 

But there is another class of public services in which he 
bore a conspicuous part, that seems to me of a more inter- 
esting nature, and to have afforded a more appropriate and 
felicitous sphere for his peculiar endowments and tastes. 

This occasion would have lacked its peculiar interest for 
me, and I doubt not for others also, if the subject of our 
commemoration had never been anything but a public 
functionary. He was more and higher than that. He in- 
terested himself, zealously and efficiently, apart from poli- 
tics, in various enterprises for the public good. He was 
one of the early and enthusiastic promoters of those lines of 
internal communication which have since become so im- 
portant. He was upon the State survey for a canal from 
Boston to the Hudson, and was pressing forward that en- 
terprise when the railroad was projected in its stead. 



8 

But it was still more to the praise of General Dearborn — 
if I may venture to say it in this so practical age — that he 
was one of those few who could sometimes foresee the high- 
est benefit to a community from enterprises, the utility of 
which was not immediate, not obvious to matter of fact 
men, not to be realized at once, if ever, in money, or in the 
means of making money ; but only, or chiefly in gratifying 
or cultivating the more refined sentiments of a people, and 
promoting patriotic recollections, enlarged sympathies, gen- 
erous aspirations, and the love of the beautiful in nature 
and in art. It is in this direction that we are to look, I 
think, for those public services for which he was especially 
distinguished, and for which we owe him most honor and 
gratitude. Thus, for instance, he was one of the most 
prominent and active of the originators of the Bunker Hill 
Monument. But I can only notice now his exertions in a 
single department, that of horticulture and its kindred arts 
and labors. 

In 1829, the first movement was made by some gentle- 
men in this vicinity — the first in New England — for a 
systematic cultivation and promotion of the arts of horti- 
culture. For this end they proposed to organize a society. 
At a preliminary stage of their proceedings, they invited a 
very distinguished citizen of this town to become their first 
president, the head and guide of their enterprise. But 
"no," said Mr. Lowell, "my whole heart is with you, and 
all I can do for your cause shall be done ; but I am not the 
man for that station. I will tell you who is the man, and 
just the right man." And confiding in his sagacity, they took 
the man he designated, and General Dearborn became first 
president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. And 
he took hold in earnest. If they had known him better, 
perhaps they would not have appointed him. For they did 
not expect to do great things, nor spend much money, or 
attract much notice, or become any very visible power in 
the land. Gentle, unambitious and noiseless proceedings 
were all they anticipated. But when the new president 
took the helm, he put right out to sea. He meant they 



should do great things. He was well acquainted with the 
subject. He had always been interested in it. He knew 
all that had been written and done about it abroad, and 
had practised upon it with much assiduity and delight in 
his own narrow but beautiful domain. He had large con- 
ceptions of what should be done. He at once established an 
extensive correspondence. He imported books, plates, peri- 
odicals, specimens, scions, seeds, plants, everything that 
was wanted, and that on a liberal scale. He talked of pro- 
fessorships in the various departments of natural history, of 
public grounds, scientific collections, experimental gardens, 
public exhibitions and premiums. There was no little con- 
sternation in the society. He was committing them to a 
great deal more than they had thought of, or considered 
prudent and practicable. His operations required a large 
amount of money, and they had little or none in the treasu- 
ry. Such splendid schemes, such dashing expenditure 
would ruin their movements. Would he not pause and be 
moderate? Where was the money to come from? What 
should they do with such an enthusiastic leader 1 

But he would not pause. He knew the thing that ought to 
be done, and how to do it ; and as to the money question, he 
was not the man to think much of that. He thought money 
a very secondary matter. He knew there was enough of it 
somewhere, and that it ought to come, and he presumed it 
would come as it was wanted. They must take care of 
that — the ways and means ; his business was with horti- 
ticulture, and the methods of advancing it. And so he went 
on, and they had to find the money — and did find it — 
with whatever of reluctance and misgivings, is usually 
incident to such transactions. 

The president had his way. He was a difiicult man to 
restrain. His enthusiasm was more than a match for other 
men's prudence. He was naturally rather overbearing, I 
think, and it was a fortunate thing that that tendency of his 
mind took a generous and high direction. He had his way, 
and his visionary extravagance, as it may have been deemed 
by many, so far from ruining the society, was the making 
2 



10 

of it. His policy — if that can be called a policy which was 
in him simply an ardent spontaneous pursuit of a good end 
without much counting of the cost — gave a name and cha- 
racter to the society, awakened an interest far and wide in 
its objects, drew in members, brought in contributions, do- 
nations and liberal bequests, and soon exercised a large in- 
fluence over garden cultivation. And now, after twenty 
years and more, when the society has become large and 
flourishing, perhaps beyond even his sanguine expectations, 
with an ample income, and splendid exhibitions, and a large 
parental influence over numerous younger institutions which 
have sprung up from its example all over the country, I am 
assured that there is not an original or early member of it 
but will acknowledge that it owes its prosperity and success 
in an eminent degree to the faith and courage, the know- 
ledge and ability of its first president. He had zealous co- 
adjutors, and he has had able and accomplished successors ; 
but they would be the foremost to testify that the society 
probably would never have become what it is, but for his 
brave piloting at the outset, and that he was the right man, 
as Mr. Lowell had prophetically assured them. 

The influence of General Dearborn has thus obtained a 
permanent expression of itself in the greatly improved hor- 
ticulture of New England. There is an enduring record of 
his labors written all over the green and flowery land. His 
thought stands expressed in the beauty and abundance, 
and tastefulness of innumerable fields and groves and gar- 
dens. There are traces of his spirit in the private nooks, 
and along the public roadsides of the country. And there 
are thousands who may never speak his name, who yet un- 
consciously follow his teachings, and copy his ideas in the 
flowers, and the trees, that engage their leisure, and adorn 
their homes and delight their eyes. There is a trace of his 
influence in every bunch of fresh and fragrant flowers that 
the hand of domestic love or neighborly kindness places and 
tends by the bedside of the sick, or the chair of the invalid, 
or on the bosom of the shrouded dead, or at the head of their 
green graves. There is something of his influence spark- 



11 

ling in the bridal wreath that graces and gladdens the brow 
of beauty. There is something of it in the luscious fra- 
grance of every basket of summer fruit that enriches the 
festive board, m every vine that wreathes a garden bower, 
in every green plant that adorns a cottage window. He as 
much as any man,— perhaps more than any one man, — 
has put in train those agencies which have introduced to 
the knowledge and love of all classes of our people, this 
greatly extended variety both of the useful and the orna- 
mental products of the ground ; as much to promote a taste 
for them, and to teach the methods of their culture. Herein 
he has been a public benefactor. It may be truly said 
of him that he has contributed, and that, on the whole, 
more largely and more efficiently than any other man of 
his generation in this country, to diffuse abroad the love 
of the beautiful in nature, and all the refined sentiments, 
the purifying influences, the pleasant resources, and the 
gentle gladness that spring from and accompany that 
wholesome and hallowing affection. He who has done this, 
has done well in his day and generation. The praise is 
justly his due — it need not be sounded with a trumpet, nor 
inscribed on his monument, but let it be gratefully associa- 
ted with his memory, — that he loved the beautiful, and 
taught his countrymen to love it. He introduced new forms 
of it, and contributed to the permanent adorning of the fair 
face of nature. 

One of the early measures contemplated by the Horticul- 
tural Society, was the establishment of a rural cemetery, 
such as had been hitherto imknown in this country. This 
subject had for several years claimed the attention of seve- 
ral persons in this vicinity. The project was discussed in 
the Society for several months ; but no definite measures 
were adopted, no forward movement was made, until the 
proprietor of what is now Mount Auburn, offered to sell 
that tract of land for the purpose of such a cemetery, to 
be combined, as was then intended, Avith an experimental 
garden. The president, Dearborn, visited the spot, and re- 



12 

ported that he was fully satisfied that a better selection 
could not be made. He was then requested to present a 
plan for accomplishing the objects in view, which was done 
in December, 1S30. His views were approved, and he was 
placed at the head of a large committee, to define, in more 
exact detail, the object desired and the course to be pursued. 
He submitted an elaborate report on the following June. 
That report foreshadowed definitely the future Mount Au- 
burn. It was accepted, the land was purchased, and the 
duty of laying out the grounds and preparing them for their 
purposes, was assigned to a small committee, of which 
General Dearborn was the head and the working member. 
He applied himself to his task, month after month, with all 
his native energy and enthusiasm. He traced the walks 
and avenues. With an eye so keen to detect the beautiful, 
and a heart so warmly loving it, he knew how to make the 
most of every nook and dell, the tangled bog, the sandy 
level, the abrupt declivity, every tree and shrub and rock. 
In a word, he, after God, created Mount Auburn. His zeal 
and vigor, his taste and labor, were the most prominent and 
efiicacious elements in the inception and the accomplishment 
of the work. And there lies Mount Auburn with its sacred 
beauty, its holy fitness for its object, with its quiet enclo- 
sures, its solemn and tender associations, its thousand 
gleaming monuments, itself in its entireness a magnificent 
and beautiful monument to him — to his industry and taste, 
his affectionate reverence for the claims of the dead and the 
sorrows of the living.* 



*If I had been writing a history of Mount Auburn, instead of a mere notice of 
General Dearborn's connection, ofiBcial and personal, with the origin of that Ceme- 
tery, I should not have failed to mention those gentlemen who preceded him in the 
conception of such an establishment, and were associated with him in maturing and 
executing the plan. Prominent in such a history would be the names of Joseph 
Story, Jacob Bigelow, G. W. Brimmer, Edward Everett, J.C.Gray. G.Bond, 
Abbot Lawrence, B. A. Gould, Joseph P. Bradlee and Charles P. Curtis. Probably 
for early and continued interest in the subject, Dr. Bigelow should be named first 
among all these. I still think, however, that Gen. Dearborn is entitled to all the 
credit in relation to Mount Auburn that is assigned to him in the Address. The 
first conception of a Forest Cemetery in America, is not claimed for him. It had 



13 

The success of the undertaking at Mount Auburn led to 
similar designs elsewhere, throughout the land, in the 
neighborhood of the large cities, and even in the humblest 
country villages. Every year has added largely to the 
number, as to the beauty, of rural cemeteries. Mount Au- 
burn was the first, the type of them all. The designing 
thought and hand of Dearborn first realized the idea of a 
fitting burial-place for the dead in this country, and fur- 
nished the pattern which, varied of course by the capabilities 



been entertained by others, and for years, as is said in the Address. But " the in- 
ception and accomplishment of the work," was more emphatically his than any other 
one man's. Scores of men through scores of years had doubtless thought and 
talked of the subject; but it was when he as President of the Horticuitiual So- 
ciety took up the project, and not before, that any thing was done. It was his re- 
port and advice, so far as appears, that led the society to accept Mr. Brimmer's 
generous offer of the land at a low price. He was at the head of the working com- 
mittees, particulaily that for laying out the grounds. For this latter purpose he had 
as associates men distinguished for ability and taste in Dr. Bigelow and Mr. Brim- 
mer ; but he was the head and the hand of the commission. His official position 
assigned to him the leading part. And whoever knew him, may judge whether he 
was the man to take a secondary and subordinate part in a matter in which official 
right and duly gave him a leading one, — a matter, too, in which he felt perfectly at 
home, which was congenial to his life-long tastes and pursuits, and for which he 
had at the time entire leisure. He was President of the Society that owned the 
grounds, and Chairman of the Committee for planning the Cemetery. He directed 
the work, always on the spot, day after day, through three successive summers. 
With these facts, taken in connection with the character of the man, it is not 
difficult to understand how far it was his work. 

That there would have been a Rural Cemetery somewhere in America, at some 
time and on some scale, if Gen. Dearborn had never lived, need not be questioned. 
When or where or in what fashion, none can tell. Whether it would have been a 
better one than Mount Auburn, I will not decide. But Mount Auburn, such as it is, 
is emphatically his creation ; — not his alone; the names I have mentioned above 
are not wont to be regarded as cy|)hers in whatever connection they may be found; 
but his, as far as any enterprise of such magnitude, involving complex agencies and 
a wide co-operation, can well be ascribed to a single man. 

This note is occasioned by some friendly strictures on my Address which appeared 
in the Boston Daily Advertiser of September 9th. Those strictures were founded 
on a report of the Address, necessarily imperfect, which was printed in the Boston 
Courier of September 4th. If the writer in the Advertiser had had the entire Ad- 
dress before him, I presume he would have seen no occasion to charge me with 
error on the subject. 

For the facts given in the Address, in relation to the origin of Mount Auburn, I 
relied on the sheets of An Historical Sketch of the Massachusetts Horticultural So- 
ciety, now passing through the press under the sanction of the Society. 



14 

of the ground in each case, has been copied far and near. 
He has himself freely given his time and skill to the design- 
ing and preparing of these cemeteries in many towns. 

You know well, Gentlemen of the Council, how much 
our own "Forest Hills" owes to him. His whole heart 
was in that pious work. His genius has presided over its 
progress. It was to him a sacred labor of love — strictly 
that. Fitly, and beautifully, the laborers there replenish 
daily the marble vase of flowers which they have promptly 
placed at the foot of his grave — not only the token of their 
affectionate remembrance of him, but a memorial also of his 
tender and disinterested thoughtfulness for all the dead who 
should be borne there, and all the living who should resort 
there to mourn, to meditate, or to worship. 

Surely the man who, more than any other man, has taken 
a leading and efficient part in changing a people's whole 
system of burial, in redeeming the waste places of death, in 
surrounding the very grave with nature's choicest adorn- 
ments, and investing the dreary sepulchre with the scenes 
and objects that are fraught with the most soothing and 
elevating associations, and has directed the steps of the liv- 
ing multitudes of cities and villages to the abodes of the 
dead, as the quietest shades and the loveliest resorts, where 
the most inviting aspects of nature and the most exquisite 
arrangements of taste blend in sweet harmony with all ten- 
der and solemn thoughts — surely this man has done a great 
work. Surely, he has made a broad mark on the face of 
the earth, and upon the hearts of men. Surely he deserves 
that grateful and honoring thoughts should gather round his 
grave, and that his name should be held in long and kind 
remembrance. Every lover of the beautiful owes him 
something. Every mortal man, who ever sends forward a 
thought to the spot where he is to be laid, and finds sooth- 
ing in its verdure and peacefulness, owes him something. 
Every bereaved one, who follows his beloved dead along 
those green and winding aisles of nature, and lays down his 
remains, and revisits them with oft returning footsteps, to 
weep and to pray by them, lying there as in the very bosom 



15 

of the loving God of nature, owes him something — some 
tribute of tender and thankful recollection. Now that that 
man has died, who himself took so much thought for the 
dead and for the bereaved, do we not well to mark the 
place where he lies, and to gather here, as we do to-day, to 
think of him, and to speak of him together once, consider- 
ing that his genius can devise and his hand can do no more 
for his fellow men, and that we shall not see his face again 7 

This slight reference to some of the pursuits and services 
of General Dearborn, will serve to indicate, in part, the char- 
acteristics of his life and mind. He was a remarkably in- 
dustrious man. His mind seems never to have had any 
idle hours, or to have squandered anytime in empty re very, 
or on frivolous objects. He delighted in work ; and the 
only relaxation he desired was a change from one kind of 
mental activity to another. Whatever office of trust he 
held, he gave the proper hours to its labors, and filled up 
the intervals of business, the earliest hours of the morning 
and the latest of the evening, with voluntary employments, 
which for their variety and amount would seem to have 
been enough to occupy the lifetime of several diligent men. 
He had a thirst for all good knowledge ; he loved to acquire 
it, and he loved to communicate it. Almost every subject 
that was of any interest to mankind, engaged a portion of 
his attention; and whatever subject he attended to, he 
worked hard upon it. The test of knowledge, which is so 
often recommended to young men, he observed throughout 
his life — that, namely, of embodying on paper the results of 
all his research and all his thinking. I suppose he was one 
of the most voluminous writers of his generation. His pub- 
lications in various periodicals would make, I know not how 
many volumes. His work on the Commerce of the Black 
Sea, published many years ago, though too far aside from 
the immediate track of American trade to be extensively 
popular, used to be referred to by the late President Adams 
as a prodigy of the industry of research. His reports on 
the many subjects of practical interest, that were from time 



16 

to time committed to him, always indicated much labor and 
great breadth of investigation. And besides what has been 
given to the public, there are in his library, now, near a 
hundred large volumes of manuscripts, on a great variety of 
subjects — volumes of Biography — the Life of Bainbridge — 
the Life of his own father — the Life of Christ, compiled 
reverently from the words of the New Testament, and beau- 
tifully executed — volumes on Architecture, civil and mili- 
tary — on Political Economy — of all manner of statistical 
information — records of current events, and of scientific dis- 
coveries. I hardly know where we may point to a living 
man who possessed so much information, on so great a di- 
versity of subjects, as he did. I do not think that any in- 
genuous young man, destined to intellectual pursuits, could 
ever have known and conversed with General Dearborn, 
without acquiring some new conception of what mental in- 
dustry is, and of how much it is capable of accomplishing, 
and some new impulse to noble toil and devoted diligence 
in the intellectual field. His presence and example were at 
once a rebuke and an inspiration in this respect. 

There was one marked peculiarity pertaining to all his 
extraordinary and earnest activity. I mean the disinter- 
estedness of his labors. Not a thirst for fame, far less the 
love of money, was his impelling motive. For his daily 
bread he was willing to work in whatever fitting routine 
of useful employment was opened to him. But for all the 
rest, for his leisure, hours or years, he thought of no emolu- 
ment, nor cared for any. The love of truth and knowledge, 
the love of diffusing it, the love of beauty, and of helping 
other people to love and enjoy it, the love of witnessing and 
assisting social progress and public improvements, the love 
of seeing every good work go forward, the love of nature 
and of all God's works; these were, obviously and un- 
affectedly, the sentiments that inspired his energies and 
prompted his unwearied activity. His personal fortunes 
did not much engage his thoughts and feelings. No man 
was ever less concerned about such subjects. When he 
received a large income, he spent it, or rather let it spend 



17 

itself, as freely and as fast as it came. Not that he cared for 
personal luxuries or indulgencies. No man was ever more 
independent of such things than he. He was in no degree 
a slave to meats or drinks, or sensual appetites ; but was 
temperate, abstemious. I am assured by such as should 
know best, that he never in the palmiest days of his pros- 
perity had any love or pride or display, but only wished to 
live as he supposed it was proper that he should. His doors 
were open, his hospitality unlimited, and his associations 
brought numbers of the highest and most honored of the 
land to his house. His home was not seldom the home of 
the orphan and the friendless. He gave or lent freely to 
whomsoever asked ; responded liberally to every appeal of 
public charity, and was ready to promote every object of 
science, taste, and public improvement that presented its 
claims. 

So he laid up no store of this world's goods, at the time 
when he probably might have done it. I will not speak of 
this absence of worldly thrift with unqualified commenda- 
tion, nor as an example that all men should imitate. It 
would not do, by any means, as an universal example. 
And happily there is no danger that too many will follow it 
in our time and in our community. We need not, therefore, 
be over earnest in our reprobation of it. Indeed, it is not, 
perhaps, to be regretted that in this shrewd, thrifty, money 
making and money saving generation, there should be, here 
and there, a man who should forget all about making or 
saving money, even when he has the opportunity. It is 
well enough, aye, is it not more than well enough, that 
there should be some to neglect it altogether, provided the 
neglect arise, not from indolence or inefficiency, or the love 
of pleasure, but from devotion to objects of higher dignity, 
from the love of knowledge and of nature, from generous 
and elevated affections, and from a spirit that is self- 
forgetting only because it takes kind and generous thought 
for others. This sort of character is quite incomprehensible 
to many people of our time ; it confounds all their notions 
of human nature and human destiny ; has the appearance 
3 



IS 

of irredeemable weakness and folly, and commands little 
respect or charity. But it is not without some value in 
suggesting the possibility of a human life not ruled by the 
one thought of money, not devoted to accumulation, not 
depending upon property as the single, all-sufficient re- 
source. We might even afford to render a certain limited 
tribute of admiration to this form of disinterestedness, with- 
out incurring a too imminent danger of being corrupted, 
or of corrupting our community to a too unselfish and con- 
temptuous disregard of the merit of thrift, the wisdom of 
investments, and the value of wealth. 

This style of character becomes more interesting and re- 
spectable in our late friend from observing his manner of 
life in his subsequent and less prosperous days. He was, I 
should judge, as contented with little as he had been with 
much. He professed, and appeared, to miss nothing of his 
former condition, except the power of assisting others, and 
of promoting the tastes and objects which he honored. 
Adversity — if we may call by that name a change that did 
not touch his mind with sorrow or despondency — seems 
to have been the means of strengthening and testing the 
finest points of his character. He could descend to a nar- 
row sphere, to a restricted state, and meet all its changes 
and privations, without thereby incurring the loss of any- 
thing that was at all necessary to his happiness. His 
essential resources were not taken away, nor touched. 
All that had ever been most precious to him, still remained 
— namely, his affections, and the objects on which they 
rested ; his mental faculties, and the subjects on which they 
wrought. The book of knowledge still remained open to 
him, and the universe of mind was his to hold free com- 
munion with. No title deeds covered for him the hills and 
valleys which surrounded him ; but all the beauty and the 
glory thereof were his — the Creator's inalienable gift to 
him — his to behold, to study, and to love ; and that was 
enough. He courted no more. He was full, he was rich, 
he was happy, in the soul's large possession and fond em- 
brace of all these things. 



19 

Never man had more abundant and unfailing resources 
for occupation and delight, and they were all of an elevated 
character. His pleasures were all pure. There was no 
kind of wholesome knowledge, no honorable achievement 
of human genius or industry, that did not interest and oc- 
cupy him, as a spectator, a student, or a fellow-laborer. 
But, as I have already intimated, the most decided bent of 
his mind was towards the works and ways of God in na- 
ture. The vegetable kingdom was, I should say, his spe- 
cial domain — the ground, and all that grew out of it ; the 
landscape, and all that diversified and adorned it. His 
chosen and daily recreation, after the more rigid labors of 
the library table, was a walk over the fields and hills, and 
through the lanes of the neighborhood. If you met him at 
such a time, and he believed that you cared for such things, 
you would immediately see, from his discourse, that his 
mind was wholly removed from the bustle and din of the 
human world. He was studying the hills, the rocks, the 
clouds. He considered every bird and insect — the struc- 
ture, the look, the habits, of each least living thing. The 
forest, and each tree in it, and every wayside shrub and 
every smallest flower as much, he familiarly knew and 
fondly loved. And if he could look for any, the least sym- 
pathy from you, he would never fail in such a scene and 
amid such discourse, to refer, with unaflected words and 
feelings of reverence and gratitude, to the infinite wisdom 
and love from which all these wonders of beauty and boun- 
tifulness proceed. He said he worshipped God daily in the 
fields — he was incapable of cant — I beheve he did, devout- 
ly, profoundly. 

The indifference of General Dearborn to the interests of 
property, and most of those objects of worldly pursuit which 
engage men generally, his engrossment in things of a differ- 
ent cast, would lead one to expect that he would be a true 
and honest man, as not feeling the force of those motives 
which usually lead to falseness and tergiversation. And 
indeed he was. I do not think that any man ever doubted 
that he was very true and very honest in word and deed — 



20 

just in his every thought. Those who knew him well, 
would find it difficult to conceive of him as ever doing or 
contemplating a mean action, ever departing from the most 
genuine magnanimity of purpose, ever pursuing a crooked 
policy, ever saying a word at variance with his thought, 
ever guilty of even so much as an indirectness. I think 
this is not an exaggeration of his quality of truthfulness and 
downrightness and straight forwardness. 

While I have been speaking of those services, and those 
qualities which marked him as a citizen, as a worker, as a 
man among men, not a few of his personal friends, and the 
objects of his personal regard, have doubtless all the while 
been thinking more of what it most affects them to remem- 
ber — the warmth of his affections, the steadfastness and 
fidelity of his friendships, his attentions to the sick and the 
aged and to children; his gracious thoughtfulness for the 
poor, the dependent, and those who were in trouble. I know 
well what good reason they have to think of these things. 
They need no reminding words of mine. He was kind- 
hearted. He was very unselfish. 

This topic brings me to the verge of those precincts of his 
life, which I may not enter to find matter for public speech. 
There is a sanctuary of love and grief, that we may not in- 
vade, though I doubt not the best of him was there. There 
are those to whom all that I have said, or could with pro- 
priety say in public, must seem as inadequate to describe 
what was highest and dearest in the object of their un- 
bounded reverence and affection, as would be my utmost 
words of comfort to console their sorroAv and heal their 
wound. 

I have thus endeavored, with due moderation, and yet 
with a candid appreciation, to present an outline of what 
was most memorable in the life, and worthy of honor and 
imitation in the character of our late chief magistrate. I 
have not intended to ascribe to him any qualities but such 
as he possessed, nor in any higher degree than he possessed 
them. I have not adverted specifically to his faults. It is 



21 

better not to. A man's faults are not profitable for instruc- 
tion or example. To speak of the faults even of the living, 
either in the public assembly or in private intercourse, does 
us more harm, in fostering a censorious, ill-natured and ill- 
judging habit, than it can possibly do us good in the way 
of warning. And to speak of the faults of the dead, is an 
ungracious, unholy, and forbidden thing. It is unnecessary 
in the present instance, for this man's faults, such as they 
were, were very obvious, known of all men — the faults in- 
cident to an ardent temperament, and an impulsive, enthu- 
siastic nature. Every one who knew him at all, knew the 
worst of him, and they who knew him best, were least 
aware that he had any faults, and loved and honored him 
the most. 

And now his diligent and useful life on earth is closed. 
He whose name has been associated with that of our city 
for so many years, has departed from amongst us. He will 
be missed very much. We shall miss his earnest spirit and 
speech, his full mind, his ready hand, his kindly sympathies, 
We have lost a man — a veritable and full-grown man — a 
goodly type of our Anglo-saxon manhood ; one who, in not 
a few points of excellence and greatness, was the foremost 
man of us all. His spirit has entered upon that untried, 
eternal scene, which he always anticipated with awed 
contemplation and trusting faith. His familiar voice, 
fraught always with instruction, dignity and kindness, is 
hushed forever. His stately and venerable form will be 
seen no more in our streets or high places. It has gone to 
its selected home — the spot which his care fitted up and his 
genius embellished for so many. 

Lie lightly upon his bosom, ye clods of the valley, for he 
trod softly on you, in loving regard for every green thing 
that ye bore ! Bend benignantly over him, ye towering 
trees of the forest, and soothe his slumbers with the whis- 
perings of your sweetest requiem, for he loved you as his 
very brothers of God's garden, and nursed you, and knew 
almost every leaf on your boughs ! Guard sacredly his 
ashes, ye steep, strong cliffs that gird his grave, for ye were 



22 

the altars at which he worshipped the Almighty One who 
planted you there in your strength. 

Cherish his memory with affectionate respect, ye his fel- 
low-citizens and neighbors, and defend his name against 
every breath of evil imputation and uncharitableness. 
Take this gracious charge upon yourselves, for he loved 
your well-being, and was ready to serve a fellow man 
with every faculty of his mind, and whatever he possessed, 
looking for no reward ! 

Forget it, ye who remember aught of offence against him 
— forget it forever, in the remembrance of his many virtues, 
and the assurance of his generous heart and magnanimous 
spirit ! 

Study what was noble in his life, ye young men, for it 
shall stimulate you to some kindred aims of excellence ! 

Be comforted, ye mourners ; for the Divine Providence, 
though it is inscrutable, is wise, and the heavenly Father 
chasteneth in love. Be ye comforted ! 

And Thou, his God and Judge, before whom no man 
living can be justified, and at whose tribunal we may not 
plead the merits of any human righteousness, do Thou re- 
ceive him, through thy redeeming grace and thine abound- 
ing mercies, to the mansions of eternal rest and glory. 



APPENDIX. 



[telegraphic despatch.] 

Far the President of the City Council. 

It is my melancholy duty to inform you of the deeply lamented 
death of General H. A. S. Dearborn, who died at eleven o'clock 
this forenoon, after a short but painful illness. 

A. W. H. CLAPP. 

Portland, Me., Juhj 2^th, 1851. 

City of Roxbury, 
City Clerk's Office, July 29, 1851. 
4 o'clock, P. M. 

A telegraphic despatch was received from the Hon. Mr. Clapp, 
announcing the melancholy inteUigence of the deeply lamented 
death of General Henry A. S. Dearborn, Mayor of this City, who 
died at the residence of his son-in-law, Hon. A. W. H. Clapp, this 
day at eleven o'clock, in the City of Portland. 

Upon the receipt of the above intelligence, I consulted with some 
of the members of the City Council, and with their approbation, 
I immediately requested that the several church bells be tolled one 
hour, commencing at five o'clock, P. M. 

JOSEPH W. TUCKER, City ClerJc. 

I also sent the following communication by telegraph. 

City of Roxbury. 
City Clerk's Office, July 29, 1851. 

To Hon. A. W. H. Clapp, — Portland, Me. 

We have received the melancholy intelligence of the death of 
General H. A. S. Dearborn, late Mayor of this City. The City 
Council will be desirous to communicate with the friends of the 
deceased, in that manner which will be most agreeable to them, 
by committee or otherwise. I shall wait a reply. 
Respectfully, your friend, 

JOSEPH W. TUCKER, City Clerk. 



24 

City of Roxbury, 
City Clerk's Office, July 29, 1851. 

After consulting with several members of the City Council, it 
was thought expedient to call a special meeting of the City Coun- 
cil, to take into consideration the sudden and unexpected death of 
the Hon. Henry A. S. Dearborn, late Mayor of this City, who 
died this morning at eleven o'clock, in the City of Portland. 

And I caused each and every member of the City Council, to be 
notified to meet at their respective rooms this evening at half past 
seven o'clock, for the above purpose. 

Attest: JOSEPH W. TUCKER, City Clerk. 



SPECIAL MEETING. 



City of Roxbury, July 29, 1851. 

A special meeting was held according to notice. Alderman 
Ward was elected Chairman, pro tern. 

The doings of the preceeding page were approved by the Board 
of Aldermen and sent down. 

In Common Council. Concurred. 

In Comvwn Council, July 29, 1851. 
The President announced the object of the meeting to be, to 
consider what action this Board will take in consequence of the 
sudden and unexpected death of the Mayor. After paying a just 
tribute to the character of the deceased, he concluded his remarks 
with expressions of regret at the loss the city, society, and the 
family of the deceased have met with by this unexpected bereave- 
ment, and that this Board would undoubtedly unite with the 
Board of Aldermen, in testifying their respect to his memory by 
attending the funeral, or in such other manner as may be deemed 
most appropriate to the occasion. 

The following telegraphic despatch was received, and laid before 
both branches by the City Clerk : 

For Joseph W. Tucker, — City Clerk, Roxbury. 

In accordance with the wishes of Mrs. Dearborn, the funeral 
solemnities of the late Mayor of your City will be performed here 



25 

to-morrow afternoon, and the remains will be conveyed to Forest 
Hills, under charge of his sons, without further ceremonies. The 
friends of General Dearborn tender their wannest thanks for the 
sympathy and kindness extended to them by the City Council of 

Roxbury. 

Respectfully yours, 

A. W. H. CLAPP. 
Portland, Tuesday Evening, July 29, 1851. 

City of Roxbury, 
In Board of Aldermen, July 29, 1851. 
Ordered, That a special committee of two members of the Board 
of Aldermen, with such as the Common Council may join, be ap- 
pointed to consider and report what measures shall be adopted by 
the City Council, to testify their respect to the memory of Hon. 
Henry A. S. Dearborn, late Mayor of this City. 
Aldermen Ward and 

Jackson, were appointed on the part of this Board. 
Sent down for concurrence. 

JOSEPH W. TUCKER, City CUrJc. 

In Common Council, J%dy 29, 1851. 
Concurred, and 

Messrs. Walker, 

Brewer, and 

Upton, joined on the part of the Common Council. 

JOSHUA SEAVER, Clerk. 

Both branches adjourned to to-morrow evening, at 7 1-2 o'clock. 



City of Roxbury, July 30, 1851. 

Mr. Walker, of Ward 5, from the committee appointed last 
evening, rose and spoke substantially as follows : 

Mr. President : — On no former occasion, at this Board, have I 
felt so embarrassed as I do at the present moment. I must, there- 
fore, in advance, ask the kind indulgence of this Council, as I feel 
great inability to give utterance to the emotions of my own breast, 
and much less to give utterance to the feelings of those who have 
requested me to submit the Resolutions I hold in my hand. 

Mr. President : General Dearborn was no ordinary man. His 
3 



26 

mind was a storehouse of ancient and modern history. His lips 
gave utterance to words of wisdom, rendered impressive by prac- 
tical illustrations, or by the flowers of poetry and eloquence. We 
have all heard his words and felt their power. While we regret 
our loss, let us remember the services he has rendered us, and 
with grateful hearts cherish the respect due to his memory. 

The whole country is indebted to General Dearborn, but Massa- 
chusetts especially. His mind gave birth to the Hoosac Mountain 
Tunnel. His eye traced the graceful curves of Mount Auburn. 
What a debt we owe to his memory ! 

Our own Forest HiUs is the work of his own hands — it wiU con- 
tain the sacred deposit of his remains — these will render the spot 
more hallowed, for while its peaceful shades shall exist, or the 
gentle zephyr play among the leaves of the forest, so long shall the 
name of Deakborn be dear to and be cherished by the citizens of 
Roxbury. 

In conclusion, Mr. President, permit me to add, that I have had 
the honor and pleasure of General Dearborn's friendship for nearly 
a quarter of a century. Peace to this noble, generous, high- 
minded, honorable man. 

In behalf of and at the request of the Committee, I now present 
their report, and move its acceptance. 



The Committee of the City Council appointed to take into con- 
sideration what measures it would be proper for the City Council 
to adopt, to testify their respect and regard to the late Chief Mag- 
istrate of this City, have deliberately considered the subject, and 
respectfully report the following Resolutions : 

WTiereas, Almighty God has been pleased to remove, by death, the 
Hon. Henry A. S. Dearborn, late Mayor of this City, therefore, 

Resolved, That while the City Council bow with humble submission to 
the Divine will, they feel it to be their imperative duty to express, and 
place upon their record, the high sense they entertain for the eminent 
services of the deceased, in the various departments of public life, — as a 
statesman ; his commanding position in the various pursuits of human 
industry ; his long services in national affairs of great responsibility and 
honor ; and more especially for his labors at Forest Hills Cemetery ; his 
devotion to the interests of our City, and for the ability with which he 
discharged the duties of Chief Magistrate. 

Resolved, That the members of the City Council take this early oppor- 



27 

tunity to express their sympathy and condolence with the bereaved fam- 
ily of the deceased in this most afflicting event. 

Resolved, That the members of the City Council wear crape on the left 
arm for forty days, as a mark of esteem for their departed friend. 

Resolved, That a copy of these Resolves be signed by the Chairman 

fro tern, of the Board of Aldermen, and the President of the Common 

Council, and transmitted to the family of the late Mayor, by the City 

Clerk. 

Adopted unanimously by both branches. 



In Common Council, August 4, 1851. 

Mr. Brewer, of Ward 4, offered the following Resolves : 

Resolved, That in view of the character of General Dearborn, our late 
Mayor, — his liberality and public spirit, his high moral worth, his un- 
tarnished integrity, his wisdom and intelligence, his varied talents, his 
comprehensive mind, and his untiring zeal in every good work, — his 
death is no common loss to this community, where he has been so long 
known, so highly honored, and so well beloved : — 

That in common with all his fellow-citizens of Roxbury, we mourn the 
departure from among us of one whom we have ever delighted to honor, 
for his high integrity in public, and his distinguished virtues and accom- 
plishments in private life ; of one, whose long life has been illustrated by 
his signal services to hia fellow citizens ; of one who, in his promotion of 
useful sciences, the diffusion of knowledge and the improvement of soci- 
ety, has so well applied that eloquence and power by which he was so 
distinguished ; of one, who, in the discharge of his important official 
duties as the Chief Magistrate of our City, has ever been remarkable for 
the purity, the integrity, the fidelity and consistent moderation of his 
conduct. 

Resolved, That in token of the sense of this Council, of the loss which 
the City has sustained, the chambers of both branches of the Government 
be provided with suitable emblems of mourning, to remain for the space 
of three months after the passage of these resolutions. 

Resolved, That an Address upon the life, character, and public ser- 
vices of the deceased, be delivered before the City Government and the 
citizens of this City, at such time and place, and with such ceremonies, 
as the Committee hereafter appointed may direct. 

Resolved, That a Joint Special Committee be appointed to carry into 
effect the foregoing resolutions. 

Passed, and sent up for concurrence, and 
Messrs. Brewer, 

KiTTREDGE, and 

Upton, appointed on the part of the Common Council. 

JOSHUA SEAVER, Clerk. 



28 

In Board of Aldermen, Aug. 4, 1851. 
Concurred, and 

Aldermen Plummer, and 

Hall joined on the part of this Board. 

JOSEPH W. TUCKER, City Clerk, 



West Roxbury, Azigust 6, 1851. 

At a special meeting of the Board of Selectmen of the town of 
West Eoxbury, August 5th, 1851, — 

Arthur W. Austin, Esq., Chairman, called the meeting to or- 
der, and addressed the Board as follows : — 

Gentlemen of the Board of Selectmen : — I should have 
called you together earlier had I not been aware that some of you 
were necessarily absent. Since our last regular meeting. Providence 
has removed from this earthly scene, one whose relations have been 
intimate with our territory, and who has held situations therein, 
which have claimed for him, and entitled him to our respect. The 
manly form — the dignified presence — the agreeable address — the 
pleasant colloquial powers of General Dearborn, have passed away. 

Under the circumstances of our late connection, it seems to me 
fitting that our Board should take some public notice of the decease 
of one whose life has been so valuable, and inscribe to him some 
tribute in our records. 

General Dearborn was a true patriot, from patriotic stock ; with 
him, " Our country, however bounded," was not an artificial senti- 
ment, but a reality. As a statesman his views were never sectional, 
and never narrow. Called early to situations of responsibility and 
trust, he met the requisitions with signal faithfulness and ability. 
In his characteristics there was nothing selfish, interested, or mer- 
cenary : having a value in himself, that which was outward did not 
seem to affect him. I have said he was a true patriot — he was a true 
man, preserving his equanimity amid the propitious or adverse. His 
generous hospitality, his liberal courtesies, when the ability was per- 
fect, were only surpassed by the cheerfulness and dignity with which 
he so conformed, as almost to seem to welcome the circumstances of 
a lessened fortune. 

As a politician, he was frank, open and decided ; capable of form- 
ing, he acted up to the courage of his opinions. Noncommitalism 



29 

— the offspring of craft, but the scorn of manliness — made no part 
of his natural or acquired constitution. And if openness and frank- 
ness did not always acquire for him the currency he deserved, it was 
the fault of others and not of himself. 

His hours of leisure were not hours of idleness, but his time was 
always devoted to that which might be valuable and useful to others. 

Of a mind imaginative and reflective, at all times of his life, he 
was rather before than behind his age ; and was possessed of many 
qualities that claim respect, and of some that challenge admiration. 

It has been my fortune through almost the whole of my life, to be 
ranked amongst the political antagonists of General Dearborn, but I 
have never heard his integrity in any quarter questioned or impeach- 
ed, or any thing advanced in derogation of his claim to entire per- 
sonal respect. 

With regard to our particular territory, he was always liberally 
disposed, and in his ofl&cial character, ever ready to do us justice. 

We have been indebted to General Dearborn, in common with the 
world, for much of advancement in the valuable and pleasing sciences 
of Agriculture and Horticulture. Both of which have been im- 
proved by his skill and adorned by his pen. 

He has thus passed a life useful, valuable and honorable, leaving 
around us many grateful memorials of his services and his virtues. 

Agreeable to these views, I submit for your approbation, the fol- 
lowing resolution to be inscribed upon our records : 

Resolved, That the Selectmen of West Roxbury justly estimate the 
distinguished public services of the late General H. A. S. Dearborn, 
through the course of a long and valuable life, in the various stations 
which he has illustrated and adorned, and that they fully appreciate his 
eminent private virtues, and deeply sympathise with his family, friends, 
and fellow citizens, in the afflicting event which they have been recently 
called to deplore. 

This resolution having been unanimously accepted, it was then 
Voted, that the Town Clerk send a certified copy of the address of 

the Chau-man, and of the above resolution, to the City Council of 

Roxbury, and to the family of the deceased. 

Attest, WILLIAM MACCARTY, Town Clerk. 

Copy. 
Attest, William Maccarty, Town Clerk. 



30 

City of Roxbury. 
In Common Council, August 11, 1851. 
Read and ordered to be entered at length on the Journals, and 
placed in the archives of the city ; and it is further 

Ordered, That the Chairman pro tempore of the Board of Alder- 
men, and the President of the Common Council transmit to the 
Selectmen of West Roxbury, the thanks of this government for their 
resolutions of sympathy, occasioned by the death of our late Mayor. 

JOSHUA SEAVER, Clerk. 

In Board of Aldermen, August 11, 1851. 
Concurred. 

JOSEPH W. TUCKER, City Clerk. 



The following communication and resolves were received. 

City of Portland. 
Mayor^s Office, August 2, 1851. 

To THE AlDERBIEN AND CoMMON CoUNCIL 

OF THE City of Roxbury : 

G-ENTLEMEN : — It has been made my duty, by an order of the 
City Council of Portland, to transmit to you a copy of the resolutions, 
adopted July 31st, expressive of the respect of the members of that 
body, for the character and memory of General H. A. S. Dearborn, 
late Mayor of Roxbury, who died suddenly in this city, while on a 
visit to his children here. I have to add that these resolutions are 
not mere matters of form and ceremony, but are united in heartily 
by all our people, in whose regards General Dearborn occupied a 
high place, as a true patriot, a good citizen, a high minded and hon- 
orable man. 1 am, gentlemen. 

Very respectfully, yours, &c. 

NEAL DOW, Mayor. 



City of Portland. 
In Common Council, July ol, 1851- 
Whereas it has pleased our Heavenly Father suddenly to remove by 
death, General Henry Alexander Scammel Dearborn, Mayor of the 
City of Roxbury, while on a visit in this City : 

Resolved, That the City Council deeply sympathize with the afflicted 
family in this sudden bereavement, which has deprived them of a head, 



31 

whose many virtues not only endeared him to them, but who was ardently 
beloved by a still wider circle of friends. 

Resolved, That we tender to our sister City our sympathy for the loss 
of their Chief Magistrate, and would publicly express our great respect 
for his public spirit and fidelity as an officer ; his ardent zeal in the cause 
of Agriculture and Horticulture ; his eminent worth and talents as a 
man ; and his amenity of manners, which truly adorned whatever station 
he filled. 

Resolved, That a copy of these Resolutions be forwarded by the Mayor 
to the family of the deceased, and also to the City Council of Roxbnry. 

In Common Council, July 31, 1851. 
Read, and passed by an unanimous vote, and sent up for concurrence. 

Attest, J. H. WILLIAMS, Clerk. 

In Board of Aldermen, July 31, 1851. 
Read, and passed unanimously in concurrence. 

Attest, WILLIAM BOYD, City Clerk. 

Copy — Attest, William Boyd, City Clerk. 



City of Roxburt. 
In Common Council, August 4, 1851. 
Ordered, That the foregoing letter and resolves be entered at 
length upon the Journals of both branches, and filed in the archives 
of the city ; and it is further 

Ordered, That the Chairman fro tempore of the Board of Alder- 
men, and the President of the Common Council, transmit to the 
Mayor and City Council of Portland, the thanks of this government 
for the resolutions of sympathy occasioned by the death of our late 

Mayor. 

JOSHUA SEAVER, aerh. 

In Board of Aldermen, August 4, 1851. 
Concurred, 

JOSEPH W. TUCKER, City aerh. 



City of Roxbtjry. 
In Common Council, September 1, 1851. 
Mr. Brewer, from the Joint Special Committee appointed to 
make arrangements for an address upon the life, character and pub- 
lic services of the late Henry A. S. Dearborn, Mayor of this City, 
submited the following report : — 

The Joint Special Committee appointed to make arrangements for 



32 

an address upon the life, character and public services of the late 
Greneral H. A. S. Dearborn, Mayor of this City, would respectfully 
report : 

That the Rev. Dr. Pdtnam has consented to deliver an address 
upon the life, character and public services of Greneral Dearborn, our 
late Mayor, on the afternoon of Wednesday next, (September 3d,) 
at four o'clock, at the Church of the First Religious Society, where 
there will be other services appropriate to the occasion. 

The Committee would recommend, that the members of the- 
Boards of Mayor and Aldermen and Common Council, and their 
Officers, assemble at their respective rooms, on Wednesday after- 
noon, at three o'clock, and with the other City Officers, past Mem- 
bers of the City Grovernment, and such others as may be invited by 
the Committee, be formed into procession, under the direction of the 
City Marshal, and proceed to the Church, where seats will be reserv- 
ed for them. 

All which is respectfully submitted. 

For the Committee. 

JOSEPH N. BREWER. 



Read, accepted, and sent up for concurrence. 

JOSHUA SEAYER, Cleric. 

In Board of Aldermen, Septemher 1, 1851. 
Concurred. 

JOSEPH W. TUCKER, City Clerh. 



Agreeably to the report of the Committee, a procession was formed at 
the City Hall, under the direction of Ira Allen, Esq., City Marshal, con- 
sisting of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council, City Clerk, City 
Treasurer, School Committee, Trustees of the Roxbury Grammar School, 
Overseers of Poor, Representatives of the City in the General Court, 
Chief and Assistant Engineers and Officers of the Fire Department, Com- 
missioners and Superintendent of Forest Hills Cemetery, Consulting 
Physicians, Assessors and Ward Officers, together with the past Mayor, 
past Members of the Boards of Aldermen and Common Council, Select- 
men of West Roxbury, the Reverend Clergy, the Mayors of Boston, 
Charlestown, and Cambridge, and County Officers residing in Roxbury, — 
were formed into procession, and proceeded to the Church, where the 
services took place according to previous arrangement. 



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